The FINANCIAL — Artisan bakery chain Entrée has announced that the first stage of its development has been completed.
The FINANCIAL — Artisan bakery chain Entrée has announced that the first stage of its development has been completed. Now the bakery is moving to the second stage which entails expanding from the local market to foreign markets. The first destination of the new strategy is Baku, Azerbaijan, where three new branches of the artisan bakery chain will be opened.
“Entrée was originally conceived as an international brand, rather than remaining local,” Jean Michel Charles, co-founder and partner at Entrée, told The FINANCIAL. “Entrée is a result of the unique synthesis of French and Georgian business partners who created the European-Georgian atmosphere at Entrée branches after taking into account the local culture. This synthesis has turned out to be very popular and in high demand in Georgia and I do hope that we will experience similar success in Azerbaijan as well. Further down the line, Entrée chains will open in other countries, but at this stage our first strategic partner will be Azerbaijan. Our business partners in Azerbaijan will help us to understand Azerbaijani culture and adjust the Entrée chains to their culture accordingly.
“At the moment we are deciding on which time will be the optimal for launching the Entrée chain in Baku. We are planning to open up in either A great event will be held for the official opening which many guests will be invited to, including Azerbaijani and Georgian business people,” he added.
Like in Georgia, the Azerbaijani Entrées will have French chefs. But the other staff will be Local people. They are presently undergoing trainings to improve their skills and adjust to Entrée’s quality.
Meanwhile, Entrée’s new branch in Tbilisi is already enjoying a lot of customers. The probationary period has now ended and the 7th branch of Entrée, located at #47 Leselidze St, has officially opened as a result. As the new branch of Entrée has additional services and an updated menu, the management decided to observe over a period of several weeks how the cafe was attracting customers and how popular the new offers were. “The results are positive and, accordingly, we have celebrated the 7th official opening of Entrée,” said Jean Michel Charles.
The Leselidze Entrée is expected to increase the chain’s overall number of customers by 25 percent. Spread over a 350 sq.m area and serving more than 80 people at the same time, the Leselidze branch is the largest Entrée in Georgia. The investment portfolio for the new Entrée consists of USD 800,000. The company has added a new assortment of French and Italian dishes of a very high culinary level to its menu.
“For the first time in Georgia we have brought in a Pasta Machine which makes delicious Fresh homemade pasta and ravioli. With the mix of several ingredients in front of the customers’ eyes, out comes pasta. Its taste is much better than any pre-packaged pasta. At the moment Italian menu offers six varieties of pizza, Foccacia, Calzone and Saltimboca sandwiches as well. Customers can take the pasta they buy from Entrée to their homes and finish cooking it there themselves. It takes just three minutes to cook. We have also brought premium class cheese and sausage delicacies from Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain,” said Jean Michel Charles.
In addition, Entrée started to offer Aperitivo to its Leselidze cafe customers. It is a specially designated period of time on Friday night, similar to a drinks evening. Aperitovo starts at 8 pm and lasts until 12 pm. During this time, people can order alcoholic (as well as non-alcoholic) drinks such as wine, prosecco, champagne or spumante. Occasionally small amounts of food are served, such as sandwiches, salads, little quiches or similar snacks. Entrée offers live music played by a DJ.
“The customers only have to pay for the alcohol, and the food is free for them. Entrée guests can either go home after enjoying Aperitivo or they may continue enjoying the night at any of the clubs in the area. The Leselidze Entrée is surrounded by many attractive nightclubs which people can go directly to from Entrée,” he added.
“The Leselidze Entrée is a very special branch because of its wonderful location and distinguished menu. All the new offers which were designed for our customers have been successfully accepted by them. Introducing novelties is always essential for our customers as they are otherwise already used to the menu, service and atmosphere of Entrée. It is therefore important to offer them something new, to renew and refresh their feelings toward the brand. The new Entrée is a synthesis of the existing menu plus an Italian corner, where as we already mentioned above for the first time in Georgia, fresh pasta is available. We invited over a ‘pizzaiolo’, a person who makes fresh pasta and pizza, from Italy specially for the Leselidze Entrée,” said Jean Michel Charles.
Entrée is a European-style bakery chain, born in Tbilisi in December 2008. The coffee bars of Entrée are an original concept with a solid image of a smoke-free establishment for the whole family to enjoy due to its high international standards.
Entrée also has its own takeout packaging for all products including hot drinks, soups and salads which allow you to taste all of Entrée’s delicious and healthy products anywhere: at home, on the move, in the office as well as at an Entrée coffee bar itself.
At present, Entrée operates 7 cafes in Tbilisi. To grow sustainably and organically abroad is the plan for 2014.
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